The Choice
by Lumosthecat
Summary: My own take on the whole Betty, Henry, Walter love triangle. Who will she choose? Completely AU after Episode 1x15.
1. Chapter 1: An Invitation

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty, nor am I in any way connected to ABC, Silent H Productions or any of its affiliates. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don't sue._

_Summary: My own take on the whole Betty/Henry/Walter love triangle. Completely AU after Episode 1x15.  
_

**The Choice  
**

"Betty, can you get Alex on the phone? I'm just looking at the final proofs before we send the Valentine's Day issue for printing and there are a few things I want to go over with her."

Betty looked up from her desk and smiled brightly at her boss.

"Sure thing. Also, do you want me to confirm the dinner reservations for the three of you tonight?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Please make sure to tell the maitre d' _not_ to bring over a complimentary bottle of wine. The last time that happened mom downed half of the bottle before Alex and I could stop her."

"Next time just knock the bottle out of her hand. That's what I did at the spa. It worked like a charm."

Daniel grinned at her last comment as he walked back into his office.

Betty contacted Alexis and transferred her over to Daniel. A few minutes later, she could hear the soft clacking of high heels as Alexis came into the room, gave her a brief greeting and entered Daniel's office.

She was pleased to see that, instead of any bickering between the two siblings, they were talking animatedly with one another. They had come to a resolution of sorts a couple of weeks ago and, what had once started off as an uneasy truce, had become a friendly, albeit competitive, camaraderie.

They had both even made concessions on what to call each other. Daniel was not quite ready to start calling her Alexis, so she conceded that he could still call her Alex as long as she could call him Danny. Everybody seemed pleased with the results. At least no articles of clothing were being flung around Meade Publishing. For now.

She was startled from her musings by a voice in the doorway.

"Was it hard getting used to seeing them together like that?"

Betty looked up to find Henry smiling down at her, his endearing grin sending something fluttering in her stomach.

"I didn't know Alex before he became Alexis so it wasn't that difficult. But, it was definitely strange for Daniel. Things seem to be alright for now."

"No more impromptu separate press conferences, in any case. I saw on the news how you came in and diffused the situation. I never told you how impressive it was."

Betty blushed at the compliment. "I couldn't believe that they actually aired that."

"You looked great. You really took charge of the situation." Henry slowly made his way towards her and took a hesitant perch on the end of her desk.

"Yeah, my dad, uh, he actually taped it. He likes to show it to his friends when they come over."

Henry's grin widened. "He must be very proud of you. I sure was when I saw it."

Flustered, Betty cast her eyes away, desperate for somewhere else to look. Nervously, she picked up the box of candy hearts on her desk that they had been giving out in the cafeteria at lunch.

She felt the hairs on the nape of her neck rise when Henry leaned over to take a closer look at what was in her hands.

"NECCO Sweethearts Conversation Hearts. They've been manufacturing these since 1902. They add new sayings every year. This year they're including some pet-inspired sayings."

Betty dropped the box abruptly after Henry revealed the little factoid.

"It's just something I know." After a short pause, while Henry fidgeted a bit with his glasses and Betty unnecessarily tidied up her desk, Henry began to speak.

"So, um, Betty, I was wondering if you had any plans for Valentine's Day. Because if you didn't, I thought that we could go out to dinner and afterwards, we could go see Bridge to Terabithia. A friend of mine gave me passes for a special screening of the movie because it doesn't actually come out until Friday. You mentioned before that it was one of your favorite books growing up."

"A story about a girl who doesn't quite fit in at her new school. Go figure."

"Would you like to go with me?"

Betty looked up and saw the expectant look on Henry's face. Her heart began to drum a quick rhythm inside of her chest and she was somewhat surprised that he couldn't hear it sitting only two feet away from her.

She worried her bottom lip as she tried to come up with something to say. A loud voice inside of her head, which bore a striking resemblance to Christina's Scottish brogue, was chanting for her to do it while a much quieter voice was reminding her that she already had a boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, Henry. I really appreciate it and I wish that I could go, but, you see, I'm still dating Walter and we've already…" Her voice trailed as she saw the hopeful look on Henry's face fade.

"No, I understand. I thought that you and he weren't together anymore. You haven't mentioned him in a while, so…"

"We are. Still together I mean. I just want to give it a chance."

"Of course. You don't want to just throw it away without giving it a shot with him. I understand. Um, I've got to go back to work." Henry stood abruptly and quickly started to make his way towards the elevators.

"Henry, wait!" Henry turned around towards her. "I'm really, really sorry." Betty wrung her hands as she watched him standing there in the doorway, his face carefully blank, before he nodded briskly and walked away.

Betty looked down at her not-quite-dry palms in frustration. What was she doing? She was saying no to Henry because she didn't want to throw what she had with Walter away? But wasn't she doing the same thing with Henry?

_But you don't know if Henry could love you and you** know** Walter loves you_, the little voice inside her head said.

But did _she_ love Walter? More to the point, was she still _in love_ with Walter? Was it really the smart thing to do, to stay with someone just because _he_ loved _her_?

She buried her face in her hands and put her head down on the desk, hitting it lightly against it in frustration.

"Betty?"

Looking up, she saw the Meade siblings staring at her with concern from the other side of the room.

"Um, hi! I'm just, you know…"

"Beating your head against your desk?" Alexis supplied.

"Yeah. Um, you know, paper work's getting me down."

Alexis and Daniel shared a look and, after a moment's pause, the former silently took her leave.

"Are you okay, Betty? I saw Henry in here with you a minute ago. Is everything alright?" Daniel asked as he approached his assistant.

"Yeah, he just, uh, asked me to go to dinner next week."

"For Valentine's Day. That's a good thing, isn't it?" Daniel asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"It's great, but I'm still with Walter. So, I told Henry no." Betty gave a great sigh at the last sentence.

"I see. I thought that you were going to break up with Walter, especially after the way that you were talking about Henry after Fashion Week. Something about popping and locking?"

The mention of Henry's dance moves brought a smile to her face.

"Yeah, it's just that Walter and I have been together for a long time."

Daniel took a seat on her desk in the same spot Henry had just sat on a few minutes ago.

"Betty, I may not be the best person to give relationship advice. Let's face it, I'm a better go-to person for advice on one-night hook-ups and the only actual relationship I've had was fabricated for a magazine article. But I'm not blind. I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him."

"Betty, you didn't see your face just now. It lit up just because I said popping and locking. I don't want to tell you what to do or to influence your life, but as somebody who cares about you and wants you to be happy, I think maybe it's time you took a good hard look at this and figure out what _you_ want to do, not what you think you _should _do."

Betty nodded, touched by Daniel's words but not knowing what else to say.

"I have to meet Alex and Wilhelmina to finalize everything and give approval before we send the cope to the printers. Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes, of course. Do you need me to go with you?"

Daniel stood and gave her an affectionate, if slightly awkward pat on the shoulder. "No, you just stay here and finish whatever you're doing. You worked hard the last couple of days. If you need to take the rest of the day off to, you know, think about stuff, go ahead. Once the issue goes out, things should be pretty quiet."

"Thanks, Daniel. For everything." Betty gave him a sincere, albeit weak, smile. He smiled in return and gave a short wave as he left.

As she sat at her desk, Betty mulled over everything that Daniel had said, along with all of the conflicting emotions warring inside of her. Looking glumly at her computer screen, the picture of Walter and her eating hot dogs stared back at her, almost mockingly.

She gathered up what was left of her paperwork and quickly finished it off. Afterwards, she took a resolute breath, grabbed her purse and headed home to think about her rather confusing love life and to finally, finally make a decision. One that she hoped she would be happy with.

_To be continued…_

_A/N: This is my first attempt at a multi-chaptered UB fanfic. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot as my other UB stories have been, but the story has taken on a life of its own (as stories are want to do). Some of the details (particularly the conversation between Henry and Betty) are quite close to what happened in episode 1x15 with a few changes here and there, so I do apologize for my lack of originality. However, I quite liked how the writers did it on the show and I just wanted to emulate their flow._

_I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think! I always appreciate comments and suggestions. The next chapter should be done shortly._


	2. Chapter 2: Contemplative Betty

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty, nor am I in any way connected to ABC, Silent H Productions or any of its affiliates. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don't sue._

**The Choice**

**Chapter 2: Contemplative Betty  
**

Betty enjoyed a relatively stress free ride home. She didn't even have to share a seat on the bus, having missed the other commuters by a couple of hours.

She arrived home to an empty house, her father at work, Justin still at school and Hilda off running errands or whatever it was that Hilda did. She put her stuff down in the front hall and headed towards the kitchen. Opening the freezer, she grabbed a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and a spoon from the counter. Not even bothering to retrieve a bowl, she walked up the stairs to her room and plopped down on her bed.

Putting a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, she reached for one of the many photo albums in her nightstand. She rarely had the time to scrapbook anymore, but a number of years ago, it had been one of her most time consuming hobbies. The one that she had picked up was the first one that she had made to record her relationship with Walter.

The cover had a picture of the two of them, taken when she had just started college. She had decorated the cover with stickers, fancy tags and lettering with the words "love" "forever" and "always" strategically placed. Justin had even added a red and gold glittery heart with her and Walter's name encased within.

Flipping it open, there was a picture of her grinning widely, her arms hugging a small bear that Walter had won for her at the carnival they had gone to on their third date. He had played the "Wack-a-Mole" game for almost forty-five minutes before he had won.

She smiled a bit wistfully at the memory. She had begged him to stop because it was much more sensible to buy a toy at one of the stores. He had looked at her, quite solemnly, and said that it wasn't about being sensible - it was about winning a prize for a prize-worthy girl.

It had been the first time someone had said anything of the sort to her and she remembered how it had made her feel so special. Flipping through the pages filled with their smiling faces, every picture carefully dated, with captions for each one, she tried to remember when she had stopped feeling so special with Walter.

She ate another mouthful of ice cream and grabbed the latest album. She had started it six months before she had begun working at MODE and it was only a quarter of the way full. She noticed that the front of the cover had no distinguishing features on it. Inside, there were pictures of her and Walter, along with her family, on various occasions. There was no fancy lettering or little notes about each event. It simply chronicled the last few months of their relationship pictorially.

When had she stopped caring? When had she stopped paying attention to the small details of their life together? Had their relationship become something so mundane, so lackluster, that she didn't feel the need to even make a passing comment about their time together in the album?

She came to the last picture and saw that it had been taken on the first day of her job-hunting trek months ago. She marveled a bit at the excited and hopeful gleam in her eyes as she clutched her bag full of resumes. Walter had his arm around her with a flashy smile and an exaggerated thumbs up.

As she stared down at this last photo she realized that that moment had been the beginning of the end for the two of them – in her mind at least.

At first, he had been extremely supportive of her as she looked for a job. But after a week or two, when he realized that she was specifically looking for jobs in the city, outside of Queens, he became increasingly unenthusiastic. He had started encouraging her to look for something closer to home. He went so far as to circle ads in the local classifieds for receptionist positions at the local doctors' offices and even the cashier positions at the nearby deli.

She had tried to explain to him that her dream was to work in Manhattan, in one of those tall skyscrapers that she had been staring across the river at her whole life. She wanted to be part of something more exhilarating than what she was used to, to know that if she worked hard she could make a wonderful career for herself that was outside of her safe and rather dull life.

He hadn't understood. He was happy where he was and where _they_ were. He hadn't cared for her big and rather grandiose dreams. He had been content, but she had wanted… more.

When she had tentatively broached the subject, he had gotten angry and defensive. At the first sign that he wouldn't get his way, he had left. It was rather unfortunate that it was at that exact time that the neighborhood hoochie was strolling for a discount on a plasma television. Fate works in funny ways, sometimes.

Betty put the spoon back in the container, noticing that very little ice cream remained. A bit disgusted with herself for eating the whole thing, she placed the sticky mess on her nightstand and put the book back where she had found it. As she did so, she caught sight of a photo on her dresser. It had been taken Hallowe'en night, after the "will you move in with me?" ordeal. In the picture, Walter had his butterfly net over her head, crushing her antennae.

Pausing for a moment, she asked herself, "_Was she just some butterfly trapped in Walter's safety net?" _

Caught by the metaphor she picked up the frame and carefully inspected the expression on their faces. While Walter's showed delight, she simply looked unimpressed and exasperated.

She had stayed with Walter, even after he cheated on her, because he loved her and because it was safe and easy. But, did he really actually love _her_? Or was she _his_ fall back, his safety net, as much as he was hers?

He had tried for someone else, someone _different_ and it hadn't worked out. As soon as Gina had dumped him, he had come running back to her and she took him back… because it was safe and easy.

Her heart started pounding and her breath shortened as the phrase "safe and easy" repeated in her head.

Henry _wasn't _safe. Sure, he seemed interested in her right now; they had only gone on one date after all, one that had been rudely cut short by the appearance of Walter. And although they got along at work, they really had only shared a handful of playful conversations. She could go out with him and then maybe it wouldn't work out.

But maybe it would.

She would never know because she was hiding behind Walter, doing what was safe and easy. The problems with Walter had started because he hadn't appreciated her attempts at fulfilling her dreams, for trying to grab hold of that brass ring. And yet, here she was, holding herself back… and for what?

Clutching the frame tightly in her hands she stared at the image of her butterfly-self caught in Walter's net for a long time.

_To be continued…_

_A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with it, as it didn't progress the story line as much as I had initially intended. Perhaps there was too much contemplating by Betty; I'm not sure. Please let me know what you think! I always appreciate comments and suggestions. The next chapter is currently in the works and should be done shortly (as long as the site allows me to upload it in a timely fashion!)_


	3. Chapter 3: A Decision is Made

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty, nor am I in any way connected to ABC, Silent H Productions or any of its affiliates. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don't sue._

**The Choice**

**Chapter 3: A Decision is Made  
**

A loud noise from downstairs brought Betty out of her reverie. Abruptly, she dropped the frame and tried to stand but her limbs were cramped having sat in the same position for so long. Glancing at the clock she was shocked to find that it was well passed three o'clock and that she had been staring at the photo for over an hour.

Shaking her legs to get the feeling back in them, she picked up the discarded ice cream carton and headed out of her bedroom.

"Hello? Who's downstairs?"

"Aunt Betty?"

Justin's smiling face popped up from around the banister.

"What are you doing home so early?"

"Hi, Justin." She gave her nephew a quick hug and kiss in greeting. "Daniel said that I could go home early. We were able to get the issue out earlier in the day and there wasn't much for me to do."

Avoiding her nephew's perceptive gaze, Betty headed into the kitchen to get rid of the evidence of her recent binge.

"Aunt Betty, what's wrong? You look a little sad and you ate the whole carton of ice cream!"

She sheepishly looked up as she washed her hands. "Nothing really, Justin. Everything's fine. Did your mom pick you up from school?" Betty asked, hurriedly trying to change the subject.

Justin recognized the maneuver easily but decided to let it go. If his aunt wanted to tell him what was bothering her, she would. She was good that way.

"No, I took the bus."

"You didn't have any problems did you?"

"No, everything's fine now. After that kid and I got into a fight last week, no one has said anything to me."

"You know, Justin, fighting isn't the way to solve your problems."

Justin smiled at her cheekily. "I know. But it was totally worth it."

Betty rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to go watch FashionTV before mom gets home and wants to watch her telenovelas."

"Enjoy. You don't have much time, though. Dad's coming home and you know how he likes his stories, too."

Justin grinned and skipped towards the couch. As Betty watched him pick up the universal remote, a gift from Walter, she was reminded of the decision that she had finally made and how she was going to bring up the subject.

As if on cue, strains of La Cucaracha could be heard coming from her bag hanging on their railing. She shifted through it until she found her cell phone and, looking at the image of Walter on the screen, she gave a soft sigh and answered.

"Hi, Walter."

"Betty! I'm so glad I caught you before you left the office. I just thought I would drop by and we could go have some dinner. I have an early Valentine's Day surprise for you!"

"Actually, Walter, I'm already at home. Daniel let me leave early."

"Really? Why? Is something the matter?"

"No, everything's fine. He just said that things were pretty quiet and I might as well take off for the day. Anyway, I'm glad you called."

"Of course you are! I'll come over right away. I should be there pretty soon."

Uncomfortable, Betty shifted a bit on her feet. If the phone had a cord, she probably would have been twisting it around her fingers.

"Great. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I'll be there. Miss you."

Betty paused, unsure of how to respond.

"Betty? Are you still there?"

Hearing the slight whine in his voice, she responded hastily, "Sorry, you were breaking up a bit. I guess reception isn't that great in the house. I'll see you soon. Bye." She quickly hung up the phone, feeling slightly guilty at her small fib and the abruptness in which she ended the conversation.

"Was that Walter, Aunt Betty?"

"Yeah, he's coming over soon." She placed the phone back in her bag, her nerves causing her to almost drop it.

"Aunt Betty?"

Looking up she saw that her nephew's attention, which would normally be glued to FashionTV, was held solely on her.

Questioning the wisdom of talking about the best way to break up with someone with her twelve year-old nephew, she was interrupted by her sister making her usual flamboyant entrance into the house.

"Betty! You're home early."

Not wanting to explain for the third time in as many minutes as to why, she just nodded. "How was your day?"

"It was goooood! I took your advice and signed up at the Academy of Cosmetology! I start in a couple of weeks and they gave me this head of hair to practice with. Isn't this so exciting?!"

Without waiting for an answer, Hilda grabbed Betty in a boisterous hug and then rushed off into the other room where Justin had jumped up to take a look at the mannequin head.

"That's terrific, Hilda. I think you'll be really great at it."

"Thanks, Betty! And I owe it all to you." Hilda and Justin started looking through some of the equipment that had been included in the school's starter package. Their attention diverted, Betty grabbed her coat and went to sit on the front porch and await Walter's arrival.

Despite her nervousness at what she was about to do, she had to smile as she heard the giddy voices of mother and son coming from inside. She was glad that Hilda had decided to pursue this. It was a much better use of her talents than cupcakes (which had turned out to be a disaster!) and even selling Herbalux products. This was something that she would not only really enjoy, but be quite successful at.

She was not sure how long she sat on the porch, practicing over and over what she wanted to say to Walter. It seemed like ages, but when Walter finally arrived, everything that she had prepared flew out of her head.

"Hi, what are you doing out here in the cold?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked passed her and let himself into the house.

Slightly frustrated that he simply walked right by her, she followed him inside.

"I wanted to talk to you, Walter."

"Outside? Betty, it's February! In New York! I mean, I know we're having a mild winter, but still."

Turning, he faced her, a big smile on his face. Staring at him, she couldn't believe that she had never noticed how goofy his smile could be.

"Now, guess what surprise I have for you!"

"Walter, I don't think…"

"Come on! Guess!"

Rolling her eyes she said, "I don't know. Walter, I really want to…"

"Gueeeess!"

"Fine, candy? Chocolate?"

"Nope, not even close. Want a hint?"

"No, Walter. I just want to talk to you."

"It's something you can use at work!"

Frustrated that he wasn't really listening to her she grabbed the arm that he held behind his back and tugged.

"Betty! You're cheating! OK, fine, you're no fun at all. Tada!" With a wide sweep of his hands and much fanfare, he produced a mouse pad from the little gift bag in his hand.

"It's a mouse pad, Walter."

"Not just any mouse pad, Betty. Look!"

Stepping closer Betty saw that it was, in fact, a custom-made mouse pad with a picture of her and Walter taken at the Pro Buy Christmas party two months ago. Staring at her rather forced smile and Walter's slightly drunk expression (he had drank quite a lot of beer from that funnel and tube gadget his coworkers had put together) her resolve strengthened.

"It's very nice, Walter. Thank you, but I really do want to talk to you."

"Isn't it great? I have one to use at home so we have matching ones! Mind you, this isn't your only Valentine's Day present. I wanted to give you this one early because it just arrived from the copiers and I couldn't wait. Don't you like it?"

Walter must have finally noticed her less than enthusiastic response.

"It's… nice. I just really want to talk to you. In private. Maybe we can go for a walk?"

"Betty, it's freezing and I just got here. I want to stay warm. Why can't we just talk here?"

Betty looked over his shoulder at her sister and Justin. Although they appeared to be busily working with the materials from the cosmetology school, she got the impression that they were trying to listen in on the conversation.

"Come on, Betty. Let's go into the living room."

"Walter, no. Really. I wanted to talk to you about us. About our relationship."

"What about it? Is this about Gina again?"

"No, Walter, it has nothing to do with her. It's about you and me. I don't know if you've noticed lately, but we've been drifting apart. We're not as close as we used to be and I'm starting to feel like maybe we need time apart. Spread our wings a bit more."

"Is this about that guy from your work? That guy you had sushi with?!" Anger and insult caused Walter's voice to rise higher and louder with each word.

Glancing into the living room she saw that Hilda and Justin had completely frozen, their attention rapt on the drama unfolding in their front hallway.

"Walter, please. I'm just… I'm not doing this very well."

"Doing what not well, Betty? Breaking up with me?!?!"

"Walter, I don't want to hurt you, it's just that I don't think I feel the same way about you as I did before. We used to be so in sync with one another and lately… it just doesn't feel that way anymore."

"That's ridiculous Betty. You don't know what you're talking about." Irritated, Walter began shredding the mouse pad he still held in his hands.

"Walter, please… be reasonable."

"Be reasonable, Betty? When my girlfriend is telling me that she doesn't care about me, anymore."

"It's not that I don't care about you. It's just…"

"It's just what, Betty?"

"Please, let me finish."

"I don't have to stand here and listen to this, Betty Suarez! Just because you work at MODE you think that you're some big shot deal now. You're still Betty!"

"Walter…"

"No, you're obviously not thinking straight. I'm going to give you a few days, Betty. And you'll realize that you're making a mistake."

"It's not a mistake, Walter."

Walter gave her one last furious look and stormed out of the house. Betty shut her eyes tightly, a little lost for a moment at how quickly the situation had crumbled.

She felt a hand gently touch her shoulder and she looked up to see her father staring down at her. He must have come in through the kitchen door and witnessed at least part of the scene.

"M'hija."

That one phrase uttered by her father caused the damn that she did not know she had been holding in, to burst.

Silently, and without hesitation, Ignacio gathered his daughter into his arms and held her while she wept.

Hours later, when she was lying in bed trying to sleep, she would realize that although Walter had displayed anger and offense at the break up, there had not been one moment when he had seemed hurt.

_To be continued…_

_A/N: Yay, Betty! She did it! To be honest, I am not particularly fond of the character of Walter, so I was quite delighted when she and Walter broke up. There is but one chapter left in my little story, with perhaps an epilogue if there's a need for one. I hope you are enjoying it! Although there has been very little suspense, I am hoping to add just a last bit of drama for the final chapter... and of course, what sort of love triangle would this be without another appearance by our favourite accountant? As always, please let me know what you think! I am appreciative of any comments and suggestions._


	4. Chapter 4: One Week Later

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty, nor am I in any way connected to ABC, Silent H Productions or any of its affiliates. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don't sue._

**The Choice**

**Chapter 4: One Week Later**

The next few days passed slowly for Betty as she dealt with the emotional roller coaster she was experiencing in the aftermath of her break-up. She had never broken up with anyone before; truthfully, she had never had anyone other than Walter to end things with. Although she felt guilty over how things transpired, she knew it had been the right thing to do.

Walter had, surprisingly, not attempted to call or get in contact with her in any way since that fateful day a week ago. Her father had been supportive of her decision and Justin had admitted that he thought it was a long time coming.

Betty had been touched when Hilda had come into her room one night, with a bag of chocolate covered peanuts and two glasses of milk – their childhood cure-all for boy trouble. Grabbing another blanket from the closet, the two had sat on her bed and talked well into the morning, laughing, crying and giving supportive shoulders when needed.

She had missed times like those with her sister and was grateful that Hilda was on her side and no longer insisting that she should stay with Walter.

Over a week had passed and life was returning back to normal. In fact, very little of her day to day activities had changed, other than not receiving calls from Walter every couple of hours. When Daniel had asked why the never ceasing phone calls had ended a few days after the break-up she had simply told him what had happened.

Daniel had given her an approving look and a reassuring squeeze, but did not make any other comments, which she appreciated.

It was Valentine's Day. She tried not to think about what this day could have been like, with either Walter or Henry. She hadn't seen Henry since he had asked her out to dinner and hadn't been able to pluck up the courage to seek him out. She didn't know if she wanted to pursue something right after her first break-up or even if he was interested anymore after she had rebuffed his advances.

Relationships, even budding romances, were confusing. It was probably best to leave well enough alone. She was saddened by the idea that she had held onto Walter for so long for fear that she would lose her one chance at love, when, in reality, she may have missed that opportunity in Henry.

In the week that she had been without Walter, and without any guilt weighing on her shoulders, she was finally able to freely admit to herself that Henry did make her palms sweat, her breath catch and her heart beat faster. She had known it all along, but had been too afraid to acknowledge the truth, as it would have meant having to let go of a _sure thing_ for only the _promise _of someone else and something more.

Sighing, she reached for another stack of documents to look over. Luckily for her, there were quite a few tasks to occupy her time so she couldn't spend the whole day agonizing over what could have been.

- - - - - - -

Henry stared glumly at his monitor, mentally running over the numbers in his head, making sure that each inputted data point corresponded with the numbers in the expense reports. He had been mechanically going over the accounts for the last few days, as Meade Publications fiscal year-end was fast approaching. The accounting department was working doubly hard getting everything organized and ready for tax time.

"Hey, Henry, we're going to take a break and go down to the wing place for lunch. Want to come?"

Taking off his glasses, he rubbed a hand against his dry eyes and shook his head. "No, thank you. I want to finish up these figures before the end of the day. I don't want to stay late tonight."

"Got a hot date, huh? Is that why you've been so quiet these last few days?" Greg from two cubicles down asked as he propped his arm on top of one of the walls of his workspace.

Henry's throat tightened a bit at the question, but he managed to clear it and reply, "No, not really. I just don't want to spend another late night. Goodness knows we'll be spending practically every night here soon enough."

"True, true. Just one of the downsides of being an accountant. Tax season is almost upon us, my friend."

Henry gave a wry smile in reply.

"What's with you? You've been so off lately. You're bringing the whole pod-life down."

"Nothing. It's just stress."

"But you were all excited last week and then suddenly… crash."

"I don't really want to talk about it."

Greg nodded knowingly. "Girl trouble. I gotcha. No need to say more. If you want to join us, we're heading out in a couple of minutes. Buck up. Whatever it is, it'll pass."

Henry mumbled a quiet thanks and watched Greg walk over to another coworker to ask him to go to lunch. Sighing, he turned back towards his computer screen.

Greg was right. He had been feeling pretty lousy ever since Betty has told him she was still with that boyfriend of hers. He should really just let it go. It wasn't as if he had any claim on her. There had been no guarantee that she would say yes. They had only been on that one date after all. And, even though he thought that it had been wonderful, it obviously hadn't meant anything to her because she was dating that guy. Was _still _dating that guy.

He just didn't understand. He had tried. He had put in the good fight. He hadn't backed down or run away like he normally did when it came to women. And she had responded to him, he was sure of it. Even when he had acted like a complete spazz, knocking into her and sending her bag of fake snow flying, she had beamed up at him with that breath-taking smile of hers.

She laughed at his jokes and he _knew_ that his jokes were pretty nerdy. Popping and locking? Come on! But, she had laughed and said it was the first time she had laughed all day. It had to mean _something_, didn't it?

_Maybe it had only meant something to him_, he thought sadly to himself.

Frustrated with his own misery, he leaned over to pick up yet another expense report when he heard footsteps behind him. He tried to calm the sudden quickening of his heart rate as the thought "_it might be Betty_" sprung up into his head.

"Henry? Where is everybody?"

His shoulders sagged slightly upon hearing his supervisor's voice.

"They went to lunch, Mr. Weston."

"Is it lunch time already? I hadn't noticed. Listen, I need someone to go up to MODE and talk to one of the Meades. Something's not right with a couple of these files. Look them over and then go up as soon as you can."

"MODE, sir?" Henry asked in a somewhat strangled voice.

"Is something the matter, Henry?"

"No, I'm just making sure that I heard you correctly. I'll head over there right a way." As soon as Mr. Weston was out of sight, Henry slumped down into his seat.

He cursed himself for not going off with Greg and the others. Now he was caught in a bind. There was no one around to pass off this particular task to. His only hope was that he wouldn't run into her while he was on her floor. The chances were pretty slim, unfortunately.

Resigned, he opened up the folders and, in his quiet and efficient way, began to look over the figures in preparation for his conversation with either Daniel or Alexis.

_To be continued…_

_A/N: I just wanted to include a little bit of introspection by both Betty and Henry and to set up their (inevitable) meeting post Betty/Walter breakup. I hope you enjoyed it! As always, comments, suggestions and reviews are always appreciated!_


	5. Chapter 5: The Decision is Rejected

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty, nor am I in any way connected to ABC, Silent H Productions or any of its affiliates. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don't sue._

**The Choice**

**Chapter 5: The Decision is Rejected**

"Betty, you need to get out here _right now_." Marc rushed into her office, grabbed Betty and pulled her to her feet.

"What? Why? What's going on?"

"That _guy_ is here again and he's causing a scene."

"What? What guy?"

"Oh, never mind. Just get over here." Marc unceremoniously seized a handful of her red sweater with large hearts embroidered on it and dragged her out the door to the round circular desk.

There, as bold as day, stood Walter clutching a dozen helium balloons in the shape of hearts and bears and a bouquet of carnations.

"Walter! What are you doing here?"

"Betty, I came to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!"

"I thought you and Juan Valdez broke up." Amanda said scathingly, looking at Betty with one eyebrow raised.

"We did." Betty stated at the same time Walter called out forcefully, "No, we didn't"

"What? Yes, we did Walter. In my front hallway. One week ago. You stormed out."

"You didn't mean it Betty."

"Yes, I did."

"You just thought you did, Betty. Don't you understand? We're _supposed_ to be together."

Betty noticed the gathering crowd and the cell phones grasped in Amanda and Marc's hands. She suspected she knew what Marc's new screen saver would be.

"Walter, can we talk about this somewhere else? Like outside? I'm sure Daniel won't mind if I leave. It's almost lunch time."

"No, Betty. I want to talk about it right now."

"Walter, now's not a good time."

"Not a good time? Betty, we're talking about us. Our future. How can _now_ not be a good time?"

Frustrated, Betty realized that Walter wasn't going to leave alone, or with her, anytime soon. Resigned to having to continue the conversation in front of everybody, she tried to deal with him as reasonably and quietly as possible, "I care about you. I do, really. We were together for four years."

"Four wonderful years, Betty."

"Yes, they _were _great, but things haven't been the same for a long time. I know you've noticed it, too. We're just… _comfortable_ together."

"Comfortable, Betty? What are you talking about?"

"What I mean is, that we're so used to being together that maybe we don't notice that it's stopped being how it used to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Like that almost bursting with excitement feeling when we see each other. It's just… it's not…"

"But Betty, I LOVE you!"

Silence met his proclamation. Betty didn't know what to saw as she looked at Walter, his face livid and the silly balloons dancing in the air beside him. Dimly, she noticed the crowd parting as someone made their way to the front of the pack.

"Aren't I there for you whenever you're sick? I'm always at your front door with chicken soup to make you feel better. I never forget a holiday. I'm always there for you. What more do you expect?"

"It's not that I expect anything, it's just…"

"And what do you mean you don't get excited to see me? What are you talking about? Do you expect sweaty palms and a fluttering heart? All those things you read about in romance novels? None of that is _real_ Betty."

"Walter…"

"We're real! You and I! You can't do better than me, Betty Suarez!"

Outraged, Betty gasped. "What do you mean I can't do better than you, Walter? You _cheated_ on me with Gina Gambarro!"

"That's different Betty. Have you seen Gina? How could I resist her?"

Betty was struck speechless by his last statement. Was that really what he thought? That she should expect him to go out with whatever eligible woman who batted her eyelashes at him and not blame him at all?

Her mouth gaping, and her breathing rapid, she barely managed to stutter, "What…" when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

Henry, having come up from the third floor to discuss the expense reports with Daniel, had heard Walter's ridiculous rationalization for what he had done to Betty and was furious.

"How can you say such things and actually believe them?" Henry asked incredulously as he confronted the shorter man.

"What? You! You're the guy that took **_my_** Betty out for sushi."

"She's not **_your_** Betty, she's not anybody's Betty. She belongs to herself. How can you say such things about her and claim that you care about her?"

"That's none of your business! We've been together for a long time."

"And from what you just said, you cheated on her. And your only justification is that you couldn't resist that other woman."

"Betty's a nice girl. Gina was just a fling, someone with a pretty face and a gorgeous body." He turned around to Betty again. "It didn't mean anything."

Betty choked back a sob. She couldn't believe she was having this very humiliating argument in front of everyone she worked with. She couldn't bear the embarrassment much longer.

"Just stop it, Walter."

Henry couldn't stand seeing Betty's mortified and distraught face any longer and without warning, he clenched his right hand into a fist and swung. It connected soundly with the side of Walter's head and he went down fast.

"It didn't mean anything to you, but it meant something to **_her_**. You meant something to her. I know numbers, Walter. Numbers are my life. A pretty face and body, those are a dime a dozen. Betty's one in a million. You don't deserve her." His chest heaving he stared at the smaller man sprawled on the floor with disgust.

Betty stood, shell-shocked and looked with wide eyes at Walter on the floor and Henry's lanky frame looming over him. The sound of cat calling snapped her out of her stupor. Mobilized, she hurried over towards the two men.

Walter, seeing this turned, expecting her to rush to his defense and take his hand.

Instead, she leapt over his prone form to Henry. "Henry, are you okay? Did you hurt your hand?"

Henry's face flushed brightly. He winced as she examined his knuckles, but just said, "I'm fine. I'm sorry that I caused such a commotion. I mean, this is totally out of character for me. I have no idea what possessed me. I, um, just came up to talk to Daniel. I didn't mean to get into this with…"

Betty looked into Henry's earnest brown eyes, filled with embarrassment and something more and she nodded. "Thank you, Henry, for what you said and what you did, but…"

Henry cringed as she let go of his hand and readied himself for the reprimand he expected to hear from her.

"But I should have done it myself." At those words, she turned and looked down at Walter.

"I forgave you Walter, for what you did. I took you back because you asked and I tried to make it work because I thought that you cared about me. And all this time you thought that I should be grateful to have you. Well I'm not, Walter. Not even a little bit. I can't believe I wasted all of this time on you."

"Betty, please, listen…"

"No, it's time that **_you_** listened to **_me_** Walter. It's over. I'm done. I'm more than done. Leave me alone. Don't come over to my house, for Tamale night or for any other night. Don't try to sweet-talk my dad or Justin or Hilda. This ends here. I had hoped that we could still be friends but obviously, that's not going to happen. I deserve more than that, Walter. I deserve more than someone who thinks that they can chase other people and then come back to me when it doesn't work out." She paused and looked towards Henry who was cradling his hand, and staring back at her with his heart in his eyes.

"I deserve to be happy. Good bye Walter."

Desperate, Walter made to stand up and approach her when two burly men came seemingly out of nowhere and grabbed him from both sides to escort him out of the building.

"I took the liberty of calling security," Daniel said as he walked up to Betty, his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks."

Staring at the flushed face of his formidable assistant, he smiled widely. "My pleasure."

"I'm sorry that I caused such a scene here at the office."

"We're a fashion magazine. We're all about the drama." He said dismissively. "You did a good job. I'm glad that you stood up to him."

Hesitant footsteps could be heard and they turned as one to see Henry approaching.

"I understand that you have some expense reports to go over with me."

"Yes, sir."

"I have some free time in about an hour. Why don't you come by my office then." Daniel smiled at Henry's distracted nod as his eyes were glued to Betty's.

"You should put some ice on that hand." Henry looked up, startled, at Daniel's suggestion.

"Um, yes. Uh, this won't effect anything or something…" Henry stammered incoherently.

"It's fine. I don't think that he'll cause any problems. That's quite a right hook you have there. I'm impressed." He gave Betty a long look. "I'll just leave you two alone. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

As Daniel walked away, Betty couldn't help but notice that the swarm of people that had been there a moment ago had dispersed and Amanda, for some reason, was not sitting in her chair at the circular desk.

Virtually alone, Henry and Betty stared at one another, both not sure what to say. Slowly, without thought, their hands reached for one another.

_To be continued…_

_Please note: The author's notes contain **spoilers from Episode 1 x 15** so if you have not seen it, please do not read. Thank you._

_A/N: I hope that you enjoyed the chapter as much as I liked writing it. I really wanted to give Betty a better chance to end things with Walter. I always felt that the break-up on the show was almost a cop-out as she did not get a chance to assert herself and do the actual breaking up (I thought that it would be good for her character development to actually say the words as it would help her to see herself as not such a "green girl"). And, although I can't really see Henry throwing a punch it just felt so good to write that I had to include it. I hope that it wasn't too cheesy. Please let me know what you think! I always appreciate comments and suggestions. _


	6. Chapter 6: The Choice is Made

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty, nor am I in any way connected to ABC, Silent H Productions or any of its affiliates. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don't sue._

**The Choice**

_Previously:_

_- - - - -_

_Virtually alone, Henry and Betty stared at one another, both not sure what to say. Slowly, without thought, their hands reached for one another._

_- - - - -_

**Chapter 6**: ** The Choice is Made**

As their hands brushed, Henry winced a bit as his tender hand was jostled. Noticing, Betty quickly pulled away, but using his non-injured hand, Henry grabbed hold of hers to stop her from completely backing away.

"Betty, I'm really sorry about what happened."

"I can't believe you punched him," she said with a breathy laugh.

"Neither can I. But that's not what I'm sorry about. I meant about doing the whole thing right in the middle of, well, here." He gestured vaguely at the reception area.

"He did it to himself. He chose the place. I guess he thought that I would be less likely to do anything if he did it here. I mean… it _is_ sort of easier to give in when a whole crowd of people are watching you."

"I'm glad that you stood up for yourself."

"Technically, you stood up for me first."

Henry looked down at their joined hands. "But, you could have just let it stand there. You chose to go through with it all the way. That took a lot of guts."

Betty blushed at his praise, an embarrassed, but pleased smile gracing her face.

Henry looked deeply into Betty's eyes.

"Where does that leave us?"

A long pause followed his question as Betty looked into Henry's eyes intently. 

Finally, she broke contact and looked away.

"Henry… I don't know if what I'm about to say makes sense, but…. Breaking up with Walter was a really difficult decision for me. When I first started thinking about ending things with him, I thought it was because I had to choose between him or you."

At this, Henry squeezed Betty's hands.

"But it's not about that… well, it's not _just_ about that. It's about being happy and wanting something else, too."

"Betty?"

"I'm so sorry Henry." Tears started to fall from her eyes. Releasing one of her hands, Henry reached up to brush a tear from her cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"I was with Walter for a very long time; so long that most people referred to us as WalterandBetty or BettyandWalter, like we were one person. I think… I think that I need some time to just be _Betty_ again."

She took a deep gulp of air before continuing. "This doesn't mean that I don't have feelings for you and that they're not real and huge, because they are. Part of me wants to just risk it and see where all of this takes us because you make me feel good. Being with you makes me feel…"

"Happy," Henry finished for her.

"Yeah," she whispered.

They fell into an awkward silence.

Finally, "When I say it all out loud it seems so ridiculous to not go out with you and have a wonderful time because I know I would. "

Henry smiled. "I'm glad that you think so. I think that we would, too."

Betty eventually looked up into Henry's face once again. He was still holding her hands, she noted, but the smile that had once been on his face had faded, replaced by a wistful sort of sadness.

"Do you think that there's still a chance for us… eventually?" Henry asked.

Betty gave a sigh, filled with feeling. "Definitely."

More silence followed.

"Maybe we could still go for dinner. See that movie. It wouldn't have to be a date. Maybe just as friends."

Betty stared at Henry, absorbing his words, this time with everything that she felt for him in her eyes.

"I would love that. But you should go with someone else…"

"There isn't anyone else. I'm not giving anything up to go with you, Betty. I want to. It's what I wanted all along."

"Me, too."

Joy lit up Henry's face at her whispered confession.

Betty squeeze his hand and saw him flinch a little. "We should really get some ice for that."

"I'll go, Betty. You should get back to work. I need to tidy up a bit I think before I go see your boss."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'll come by and we can make arrangements about tonight after I finish talking to Daniel."

Betty nodded and watched him walk away. As he neared the elevators she called out to him…

"Are you mad? That we're not…"

Henry turned. "No. I thought that I had missed my chance before… but now, I know that the feelings I have aren't mine alone. And that's more than I had before. There's still hope... hope is never a bad thing to have."

The crushing weight on Betty's chest lifted and she released the breath that she had been holding slowly. Her face glowed with pleasure as she nodded.

She watched him get into the elevator and gave a little wave.

Walking into her office, she was met by Daniel who was casually flipping through something in a folder.

"Daniel?"

"I'm just looking through the papers Henry dropped. I'm assuming they're concerning what he wants to talk to me about. I figure I should get a leg up so I actually know what's going on."

"I really am sorry about…"

"Let it go, Betty. It's okay. It's not the worst thing that's ever happened, here. The stampede to sign up for swag can be much rowdier and cause way more injuries." Betty laughed at the truth of his words.

"So, how'd things go with Henry?"

"They went well." 

"Are you going to keep me in suspense?"

"Since when have you been so interested in my love life?"

"Since I've had to see you sitting at your desk looking miserable for the last week or so. I have to know if I need to start keeping my blinds closed to avoid watching you mope."

"I don't mope."

"If you say so."

Rolling her eyes, she took a seat at her desk.

"Seriously? You're not going to tell me?"

Betty looked up and saw, despite his casually teasing tone, there was real concern in Daniel's eyes and she softened.

"We're going to be friends."

"Just friends?"

"For now."

At that, Daniel smiled and stood up.

"What?'

"For now usually means that at some point it will change. That's a good thing."

"I hope so."

"I guess I can keep my blinds open, then."

"I guess so." She smiled.

Daniel picked up the papers to walk back to his own office. "It's been quite an interesting day so far and it's not even one, yet. Yelling match in the middle of our floor. Stoic accountant decks would be suitor, carrying helium balloons… which, by the way, Amanda took, so if you're looking for them, find her. Would be suitor is physically thrown out of the building. I wonder what the afternoon has in store for us."

"Who knows? The possibilities are endless," Betty quipped.

"Possibilities generally are." Daniel glanced back, winking at her. Betty grinned in return.

Afterwards, as Betty finished up some paperwork, she smiled to herself, no longer agonizing over what could have been. She had finally chosen and it was a choice she hadn't considered at all but knew deep down that it was definitely the right one. She hadn't chosen Walter. She hadn't even chosen Henry. She had chosen herself.

The End.

_A/N: Pleasse, don't flame!!! The story took on a life of it's own and this is how it wanted to end. It really does make sense, though. Someone like Betty, who's just starting to spread her wings and be independent, should take some time off after her first major break-up to just re-evaluate her life and what it all means. I can also see Henry saying, "okay, I get that", but still want to stay in the picture. As always, please let me know what you think. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated._


End file.
